Combined tray-conveyer and spiral chute.



M 0. 'SOHWAB. COMBINED TRAY GUNVEYER AND SPIRAL CHUTE.

APPLICATION PILED JUNE 11, 1909. V a

Patented Dept. 30, 1913.

2 SHEETS SHEET 1.

7' "k MW 6 o m i; J 0 6 i w w l A h W Y M. c. SCHWAB. COMBINED TRAY GONVEYER AND SPIRAL GHUTE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11 1909. 1,074,387. v I Patented Sept. 30, 1913;

2 SHBETS SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOI? QMMW v UNITED STATES PATENT onmon;

MARTIN C. SCI-IWAB, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. ASSIGNOR TO GRAVITY CONVEYOR COMPANY, A CORPORATION 01* NEW YORK.

COMBINED TRAY-CDNVEYER AND SPIRAL CHUTE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 1i, 1909. Serial No. 501,614.

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that I, MARTIN C. SCHWAB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Combined Tray Conveyers and Spiral Chutes, of which the following isa specification. v I

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in conveyingapparatus, more particularly designated and described as a combination tray elevator and spiral gravity conveyor. a

One of the objects'of my invention is to provide improved means for receiving material at any floor of a building and delivering the material to any other floor.

A further object is to provide improvedmeans for discharging material into a spiral conveyor.

F or' the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of other new and useful objects, my invention consists in the fea-v tures of novelty in the combination and arrangement of the several parts hereinafter more c ompletely described and claimed in the appended claims.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates my invention as comprising a suspended tray elevator in combination with two spiral gravity conveyers. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the detailsof the receiver and other co-acting parts of the apparatus located at thetop floor. Fig. 3 is a plan-view of the deflector 23 of Fig. 1.

Like parts are designated by similar reference characters in all of the figures.

In the ordinary tray elevator there is much difliculty experienced in discharging material from the trays, without either stopping theelevator at each floor, or permitting the material to be carried up and over the top of the elevator and then thrown off as the elevator descends.

By combining the spiral gravityc'onveyers with the tray elevator as herein described, the material may be carried up to the top of the'tra elevator, discharged into a'spiral chute, an deflected therefrom to the various floors as desired.

, the same building.

Referring now more particularly to Fig.

1 of the drawings, the tray elevator A consists of a series of carriers 16, suspended at the points 18 from the two parallel endless chains 17 which are adapted to pass over the sprocket wheels 11 at the top and sprocket wheels 9 at the bottom limits of travel. The sprocket wheels 11 are each separately mounted in the bearings 10 which are fixed upon the frame 7, and the gear wheels 12 are mounted in the same bearings 10, or may be integral with the sprocket wheels 11. Only one of the endless chains 17 is shown in the drawing; the other one being preferably of the same construction, and similarly arranged. These two chains 17 and the' Patented Sept. 30, 1913.

are separated from each other by approximately the length of the carrier trays l6,

so that each tray 16 is free to swing about the point of suspension 18 as an axis when passing over the top and between the sprocket wheels 11 to maintain an upright position.

The movement of the chains is eli'ected by means of the gear wheelsl suitably mounted in the bearing 16 on the frame 7 to engage the corresponding gear wheels 12 which are connected to the sprocket wheels 9. A pulley wheel 14 is also mounted on the same shaft as the gearwheels 13,

and the rotation of the pulley wheel 1% causes the corresponding movements of the gear wheels 13, 12, the endless chains l7 and the carriers 16. l

At the lower limit of travel of the chains 17, the sprocket wheels '9 are mounted in the bearlngs 8, and a. receiving table'6 is suitably located so that the material to be elevated may be readily loaded on the trays 16 as they move around the lower point of travel.

Several floors, 1, 2, 3, at, 5, are shown in the drawing, some offwhich are provided with the openings 30 through which the elevator trays 16. are adapted to pass. The carrier trays 16 are comprised of extending arms or fingers, and charging brackets 16' having arms to intermesh witlrthose of the carrier trays 16 are preferably provided at each floor, so that freightplaced on any of the "discharging brackets 16 will be taken oil by the first ascending'tray 16. As

this bracket feature constitutes no part of my present invention, it will" not be further direction by the manipulation of the hand described in detail. It is to be understood that the tray elevator A is in continuous motion. The discharging brackets 16 are hinged and may be thrown out of position when not in actual use The receiving apparatus at the top of the tray elevator comprises a deflector 20 and a receiver 21. The deflector 20 is suitably mounted on a base or standard 19, and the stops 28 and 29 are provided to limit the rocation of the deflector 20 in either direction. The receiver 21 is provided with a hand lever 22, by means of which the'receiver may be tilted or moved to eject the received goods, Arms of the deflector 20 intermesh with those of the carrier trays 16, and when this deflector 20 is in position against the stop 28, as shown in the drawing, packages on the carrier trays 16 will be engaged by the intermesl'iing arms of the deflector 20, and cast upon the receiver 21, as the carrier trays 16 descend. The receiver 21 is provided with a swivel mounting 35 to permit of rotation in either direction, and a pin 36 to lock it in any rotated position. The received goods may thereby be directed in any lever 22.

Continuous motion is imparted to the tray elevator A by the electric motor M and the belt 15 which passes over the pulley 14. The motor M receives current through the starting box B and the main switch S, in any ordinary well known manner. It is to be understood that any desired motive power may be employed, the arrangement shown constituting a simple and convenient means for accomplishing the purpose.

Two spiral gravity 'conveyers C and D are shown, having their top portions arranged in proximity to the receiver 21. The turning of the hand lever 22 of this receiver 21 is operative to direct the received goods into either of the conveyer chutes G or D or upon the floor 4, and the stop 31 or some similar device, is effective to prevent the turning of the receiver 21' in an undesirable direction.

The gravity conveyers C and D are provided with openings upon the several floors through which they pass, and the descending articles may be deflected from the spiral chutes to any floor as desired. F or example, the conveyer G has an opening corresponding to floor 3, an auxiliary chute 24, and a deflector 2-3. The deflector 23 is provided with a handle 32, or other equivalent device, by means of which the deflector may be moved either to intercept descending packages and direct them to floor 8 by means of the chute 24, or to prevent the packages from being ejected upon this floor 3 and to permit them to continue down the conveyor C. Similar openings and deflectors are provided at the other floors for intercepting the-descending conveyers may be employed, with or without an inclosing shell My invention does not relate to the form or size of the spiral conveyers, and they may be provided with as' many openings or outlets as desired, or for any number of floors.

A complete operation of my invention is deemed sufficiently obvious not to warrant a further detailed description. it is to be lmderstood that the receiver 21 is operable to direct the received material. into either of the spiral conveyers or upon the top receiving floor by the operation of the hand lever 22, and if the hand lever be placed in a given position, all the received goods will be directed in the proper direction without other manual assistance. By also setting a deflector in the corresponding conveyer, the packages may be deposited upon the proper floor without requiring manual assistance, thus greatly facilitating the handling of a quantity of the same kind of goods.

The tray elevator is preferably operated at a constant speed, discharging the material carried upon'the receiver 21 smoothly and without unnecessary violence. By employ ing gravity conveyers to receive the material at the top of the tray elevator, the ultimate position of the'delivered goods is not con fined to the immediate vicinity of the tray elevator, as it'would necessarily be if the tray elevator alone were used. Further more, freight may be loaded upon the tray elevator at any floor, or upon the spiral conveyors and discharged in the way as above set forth.

I desire not tobe limited to any specific construction, combination orarrangement as herein described, as it is evident that many changes may be made in an actual installation of my invention, by those familiar in the art, without interfering with the spirit and scope of my invention.

lVhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The combination of a spiral gravity conveyer, a tray elevator for raising goods to the top of the conveyer, means for discharging goods from the tray elevator into the conveyer, and a receiver for holding the goods before they are discharged into the conveyer.

2. The combination of a spiral gravity conveyer, a tray elevator, a hand lever for me chanically discharging goods from the tray elevator, a receiver for the discharged goods, and ,means for turning the receiver to direct thegoods into the spiral conveyer.

names? 3. The combination of spiral gravity conveyers, a tray elevator, a lever for discharging goods from the tray elevator, a receiver for the discharged goods,and means for directing the said goods into one of the spiral conveyers.

at. The combination-of spiral gravity conveyers, a tray elevator, means for automatically discharging goods from the tray elevator, a receiver for the goods at the top of the spiralconveyeraand means for discharging the goods into one of the spiral conveyers or at the top thereof.

5. The combination of spiral gravity conveyers, a tray elevator, means for discharging freight from the tray elevator, a receiver for the freight, and a hand lever for directing the freight from the receiver into one of the conveyers or out at the top of the conveyers. I

6.' The combination of spiral gravity conveyers, a tray elevator,'means for discharging freight from the tray elevator, an adjust-able receiver, means for directing freight from the receiver into one of the conveyers,

and a stop for preventing the receiver from being turned in the wrong direction.

7 The combination of spiral gravity conveyers, a tray elevator forreceiving freight and elevating it to the top of the conveyers, means for discharging the freight from the tray elevator, a receiver for the freight,

means for directing the freight into one of the spiral conveyers, and means for directing the freight from the conveyor at any predetermined place.

, 8. The combination of spiral gravity conveyers, a tray elevator adapted to be in con- 'tinuous motion, means formoving the tray elevator, means for discharging freight from-the tray elevator without arresting its motion, a receiver for the freight; means for manually directing 'the freightinto one ofthe spiral conveyers, and means for preventing the accidental discharge of freight from the receiver in the Wrong di:, rection. i

.9. The combination of-an endless carrier elevator, gravity conveyers having receiving ends adjacent each other, and means to receive articles from the said elevator and deliver them to either of said conveyers.

10. The combination of a tray elevator, a device to receive articles from the elevator, a plurality of gravity conveyers, and a .device adjustable into positions to deflectelevator and directing them at will into either of the said chutes.

13. The combination of a tray elevator, gravity conveyers, a receiver in position to receive articles from the elevator and rotatable about a vertical axis into positions to discharge the articles into either of said conveyers.

14. The combination of gravity conveyers having their receiving ends at substantially the same level, a tray elevator for receiving freight from lower floors and elevating it to the top of the 'gravity conveyers, and a mechanical device for directing at will the freight from the tray elevator into either one of the spiral conveyers.

15. T he combination of gravity conveyers, a tray elevator, and mechanical means for automatically discharging freight from the tray elevator and directing the freight into either one ofthe conveyers.

16. .In conveyer apparatus, the combina tion of a tray elevator for receiving freight at lower floors and elevating ,the freight to an upper floor, spiral gravity conveyers having their receiving ends at said upper floor, and mechanical means for directing the freight into either of the spiral conveyers or upon the said floor.

17. In conveyer apparatus, the combina- ,,tion of a tray elevator for receiving freight at lower floors and lifting the freight to an upper floor, gravity conveyers extending to said floor and mechanical devices for directing the freight from the tray elevator either upon the said upper floor or into one of the spiral conveyers.

In testimony whereof, I hat esigned my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing wltnesses.

MARTIN G. SCHWAB.

Witnesses:

E. V. STAoK, FRANK O. Gms, 

